Green beans are coming out of my ears. I love green beans; however, I will be thankful when they stop producing.
The La Plata County 4-H Giving Back Garden is yielding the fruits of our labor this month. Last weekend, members of the Mountain Shadows and Westside Wranglers 4-H clubs came out to our plot at the Old Fort Lewis Research Station in Hesperus to get dirty and harvest cabbage, onions and potatoes. And – oh, yeah – those green beans.
The garden has produced an abundance of tasty vegetables. We harvested these crops specifically for the USDA Commodity Foods Produce Bounty program. It was great to be able to give away locally grown fresh vegetables to members of our community.
The vegetables we gave away contained a variety of red, white and purple potatoes; red and yellow onions; and bowling-ball-sized green cabbage. I would like to thank the Rocky Mountain Rough Riders 4-H Club for picking up excess vegetables from the Durango Farmers Market.
The 4-H Giving Back Garden will continue to produce for the rest of the month. Vegetables will be distributed to Durango Food Bank and Manna Soup Kitchen. In addition, we will be giving away the remainder of our veggies at the Harvest Day Festival. This festival, with games and activities for the whole family, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 12 at Old Fort Lewis in Hesperus. We are still working out the details, but look for posters and advertisements soon with more information.
With summer coming to an end, the 4-H year is wrapping up. New enrollment into clubs will begin Oct. 1. For more information, please contact the Colorado State University Extension Office.
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The Colorado State Fair in Pueblo concluded after Labor Day, and I returned home with many 4-H projects that were on display at the fairgrounds. I would like to highlight some members whose projects received special recognition.
Florida Four Leaf member Ethan McInnis won a Reserve Champion ribbon for his Unit 3 Woodworking project.
Jordan Baker and her sister, Faith Baker, from the Westside Wrangler 4-H Club did very well. Jordan was Unit 6 Leather Craft Champion for her pictorial carving. Faith was Grand Champion overall for her Unit 8 Cake Decoration Fondant project.
Also in Cake Decorating, Bethany Quimby of the Mountaineers 4-H Club received Champion for her Unit 7 Flat Surface and Nail Flowering project.
Lastly, Isabel Whitehead received a Champion ribbon for her Unit 24 Silk or Silk-like Clothing project. Anyone, who was at the La Plata County Fair, knows really how beautiful her dress came out.
There are many more La Plata County 4-H members who competed and did very well, but too many to put in one article.
felsengh@co.laplata.co.us or 382-6463. Greg Felsen is La Plata County 4-H youth development agent.
